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Monday, June 15, 2015

They say young love doesn't last, but a girl from the wrong side of the tracks with unique abilities and the hometown golden boy were determined to defy the odds. For Zack Covington, Anna-Grace—his "Gracie"—was the one. But one night forever altered the course of their future; when a devastated Gracie disappeared without a trace, Zack was left to agonize over what happened to the girl he loved. As the years passed, his desperate efforts to find her uncovered nothing.

Now working for Devereaux Security, he stumbles across a painting featuring a special place only he and Gracie would know. The image is too perfectly rendered for it to be coincidence. His Gracie must be alive. When he comes face to face with her, he is shocked—and heartbroken—to discover the wounded shell of the girl he once knew and still loves. Her psychic gifts are gone, and worse, she believes he betrayed her all those years ago.

Zack has enemies, and once his weakness is discovered, Gracie becomes a target for revenge. He'll have to save her before he can earn her trust and her love. And he vows they'll never be torn apart again.

the knife to drop. Lana’s scream mimicked Alyssa’s own and yet the obvious pain

the bullet wound must have caused didn’t deter her from her determined

vendetta.

She lunged at Alyssa, scratching furiously at Alyssa’s face while her other

hand hung uselessly at her side.

Goddamn it!

Zack hurled himself forward, grabbing a fistful of the hell cat’s hair and

yanked her back. In his ear, two voices were demanding a status report. He

ignored both, more worried about defending Alyssa from further harm if someone

not on his team came down the stairs.

“I’ll kill you!” Lana screamed, turning her fury on Zack.

And just as suddenly, her anger turned to triumph as she turned a spiteful look

in Alyssa’s direction.

“You’re too late anyway,” she said smugly.

Zack didn’t pause to consider what the crazy ass girl meant. He shoved her down

into a nearby chair and handcuffed her uninjured wrist to the arm. This time it

was she who gave away the presence of another. Relief flared in her eyes and

Zack immediately dropped and rolled toward Alyssa, placing his body between her

and any possible threat.

His gun was up and he didn’t hesitate when he saw a man who was similarly

attired as the one Zack had already taken down on the upper level. He didn’t

have time to go for the kill shot but put a bullet in the assailant’s upper

leg. Judging by the blood pumping from the wound as the man went down, it was

likely Zack had hit his femoral artery. If that was the case, the man was

finished and would bleed out in a matter of seconds.

Still, not one to assume anything, he took aim and put a second bullet through

the downed man’s neck.

“Goddamn it, where the fuck is everyone?” Zack demanded, addressing his

teammates for the first time. “Alyssa’s in the basement and two of the

kidnappers are dead. Anyone care to offer some back up here?”

“Well, if you’d been a little more patient, you’d have gotten your back up,”

Dane said dryly.

“If I’d waited any longer, Alyssa would be dead right now,” Zack snapped.

“We’ve cleared the main level,” Eliza broke in. “On our way now. And Zack, this

is some fucked up shit we’re dealing with.”

“You don’t even know the half of it,” Zack said grimly.

Satisfied that he’d encounter no further nasty surprises, Zack picked himself

up and quickly freed Alyssa’s wrists, using the key lying on a table just a few

feet away. As soon as she was free, she threw her arms around him and sobbed

into his neck. He closed his eyes, cupping the back of her head as he gently stroked

her hair.

“It’s all right now, sweetheart. You’re safe now.”

“No it’s not,” she said with gulping sobs. “It’ll never be all

right again.”

She clung tightly to him her grief causing a knot to form in Zack’s throat. The

world was filled with all kinds of sick, twisted fucks, but even this had the

power to surprise him. That someone so young was so evil and…sick. He didn’t

have words.”

“Can you get up or do you need me to carry you?” Zack said, using a soothing,

calming voice. “How badly are you hurt?”

At his question, she completely fell apart, her cries so hopeless that it

enraged him that such innocence had been destroyed. But even then, he wasn’t

prepared for her answer.

“She broke my knees,” Alyssa sobbed. “She made it so I’ll never

dance again. Dancing was all I had and now it’sgone. She was supposed to

be my friend. We were going to room together, go to the same performing arts

academy. Oh God. What if I never walk again?”

Zack went utterly still with shock. As gently as he could, considering he was

shaking with rage, he pulled her away, just enough that he could evaluate her

legs. He hadn’t seen them before. He’d been too focused on Lana and the knife

she’d held and the fear in Alyssa’s eyes.

And what he saw horrified him.

The leotards she’d worn in her recital were torn and bloodied, impossibly

stretched by massive swelling caused by trauma to the kneecaps. He’d never felt

so sick in his life. Not since the day…

He shook his head, refusing to go back to that time in his life. There was a

young girl who needed him right now. He was all that had stood between her and

death. And to her, such a devastating injury was tantamount to death.

He very carefully slid one arm underneath her thighs, above the backs of her

knees and below her behind and the secured his other arm around her upper body,

hooking it underneath her armpit.

“This will hurt, honey, but I have to get you out of here and to a hospital

where it’s safe. Perhaps your injuries aren’t as severe as you fear.”

Devastation and doubt were clear in her tear-swollen eyes, but she clamped her

lips shut and leaned into him, not uttering a single sound as he lifted her and

carried her past Lana who was still handcuffed to the chair.

“What about me?” Lana shrieked. “You shot me!”

Zack turned his cold gaze on her, ensuring Alyssa’s head was tucked firmly

beneath his chin, her face buried against his neck so she would no longer have

to lay eyes on her torturer.

“Sue me,” he growled.

THE SLOW BURN SERIES

KEEP ME SAFE: A SLOW BURN NOVEL

By Maya Banks

When Caleb Devereaux discovers his younger sister, Tori, is kidnapped, he quickly turns to an unlikely source for help: Ramie St. Claire, a beautiful and sensitive woman with a psychic gift for finding answers others cannot. The two quickly find out their chemistry is undeniable and an intimate relationship follows.

While Ramie can connect to victims and alert authorities to their locations, her ability comes with a steep price. Every time she uses it, she experiences the same torture as the victim. Helping the infuriatingly attractive and impatient Caleb find his sister nearly kills her. Even though his sexual intensity draws her like a magnet, she needs to get as far away from him as she can.

Deeply remorseful for the pain he has caused, Caleb is determined to make things right. But just when he thinks Ramie’s vanished forever, she reappears. This time she’s the one in trouble and is in desperate needs of his help. Caleb will risk everything, including his heart, to protect her from a relentless and cruel murderer, who will stop at nothing and no one until he gets to Ramie.

IN HIS KEEPING: A SLOW BURN NOVEL

By Maya Banks

Arial knows the rules that keep her safe. She’s been following them since she was a little girl: Do not tell. Do not show. But in a moment of terror, facing an attacker intent on taking more than just her life, she has no choice but to unleash the psychic powers she’s been hiding since childhood.

Now, with Ari’s abilities revealed, a bigger threat looms - something that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her parents and her secretive upbringing. But this isn’t a fight she can face on her own.

As the head of Devereaux Security, Beau Devereaux is no stranger to the bizarre. But when he takes on a new client--a beautiful young woman with an extraordinary gift--Beau isn’t prepared for the extent of his attraction to her. What began as a simple assignment quickly turns personal as he discovers he’ll do anything it takes to protect Ari, the woman he loves.

Maya Banks a #1 USA Today and New York Times bestselling author whose chart toppers have included erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, Scottish historical romances. She is the author of the Breathless Trilogy, the KGI novels, the Sweet series, and the Colters Legacy novels. She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.